Illustrious
by Tallis-chan
Summary: Collection of Naruto One-shots -- My heart is like a jewel, and your love makes it illustrious.
1. Swing Set

Here is the first entry of my new collection of Naruto drabbles. I really wanted to write a lot without worrying about how long it would have to be and everything, so I decided to start this collection. The couples will be of the following; ShikaTema, SakuNaru, and SasuSaku. There might be a possibility of other ones, but those are the main ones. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Swing Set

-SasuSaku-

* * *

He was probably the most complicated man I'd ever liked in my life. Well, actually I think he was the only guy I ever liked. There was just no one else like him… that's what made him so special to me. And I know that I could never stop liking him even though there's been many a day when I wish that my feelings would just stop and spare me the pain.

He has many sides to him. Most of the time, he stays in his usual 'cold' mood where he doesn't care about anything around him expect for being the best and killing his brother. I always feared this side of him, though I tried to hide my fear the best I could.

For some reason, I always thought that maybe if I tried hard enough that I could reach out to him and help him. I was always wrong. Any time I tried I got the usual 'shut up Sakura' or the infamous cold look. On rare occasions, he would resort to hitting me.

I never minded… if it made him feel better, then he could hit me if he wanted. But I don't think that he ever really wanted to… I should have realized sooner that he just didn't want me around. I could have spared myself so much pain… physically and emotionally, but I couldn't stop.

I couldn't stop because somewhere inside me, there was always hope for change. I always kept hoping that someday Sasuke will realize that I was there for him all along.

That time never came of course. My heart was shattered into I don't know how many pieces the day that he left. There was nothing I could do… nothing I could do to stop him. And it killed me to see him go.

I still believe that my soul died that day, but my body lived on. Things got easier over time, and daily functions started becoming routine again. However, something snapped inside of me that day and I tried my hardest to make sure that I never got hurt like that again.

After that things got easier, and I could go on in life without problem. I helped around anytime that I could and I made becoming a medical-nin my top priority in life. It was the only way I knew to make sure that nobody else got hurt in my life. If Naruto ever came back from a mission beaten and bruised, I could actually help him instead of sitting around waiting for him to get back on his feet.

I just wanted a purpose and I wanted a reason to keep on going in life after Sasuke left. My usually hope filled life was brought to an abrupt end, so there had to be something else for me to hold on to. I found my purpose through healing and helping other people, and that's all I needed.

Despite my comeback, I found myself thinking about him a lot. I couldn't help it. Sometimes, I would take a day off from training to become a medical-nin and go out to the waterfall near our village for some peace and quiet. I wanted to get away from everything else in this life to think about Sasuke.

I thought about all of our adventures together. I thought about the good and the bad times. I still remember the day he left. I still remember trying to stop Naruto and Sasuke from fighting. I can't help but laugh at how young and naïve I was back then. I should have realized earlier that he didn't need me. He was perfect, and perfectly fine without me.

I often wondered if he ever thought about me, if he ever got lonely. I doubted it, but still it was a nice thought… I can imagine him looking out at the stars and thinking about me. I know that in reality that he never would, but still… I couldn't help but day dream about it.

Sasuke took me through a lot of places in my life. When he pushed me away, I felt like I was worthless. I went through a lot of lows because of him, but the times that he smiled… my god, he had the most gorgeous smile I'd ever seen. The times that he was happy because of a successful mission or something was going good for him, I felt my heart soaring with happiness.

I knew in my heart that I would never get over him. If he ever came back, despite how well that I'm recovering.. I would fall in love with him all over again. I knew that once again my heart would be broken again in a vicious cycle that would never stop. He was like a swing set to me in that fact that I went through highs and lows rapidly all because of him.

But he's my swing set, one that I couldn't ever get off of.

* * *

I really liked the idea for this one. At first it was Naruto instead of Sasuke, but I couldn't make that work without making it extremely OOC, which is the hardest part about writing for Naruto for me. Anyway, I hope you liked it and leave me a review if you'd like.


	2. Love is a Game Two Can Win At

All righty! Here's my next entry of _Illustrious_. This one is a good ol' ShikaTema -squeals- My favorite… And I kinda got this idea off the top of my head in World History class. I'm not too sure if I got the ending thought good enough or not, but I thought is was cute. But sadly, it's probably been used before for this couple. Oh well. Enjoy.

Thanks to **eCZi** for reviewing the previous drabble. You are freaking awesome! …and my only reviewer.

Disclaimer: Mesa don't own Naruto. Believe it.

* * *

Love is a Game Two Can Win At

ShikaTema

* * *

"Damn, why do I keep losing to you!?" Temari shouted out loudly in obvious annoyance to her male rival. She stared at his finishing move, trying to let it sink in. All the while, Shikamaru kept his pleasant happy smirk on her face. They had been playing Shogi again, and she had lost to him… yet again.

"I guess that this just isn't one of your strengths Temari. You don't have to be perfect about everything you know." Shikamaru gave his thought as he put the game away neatly into the package it had first come in when he bought it. Usually he would just toss most of his possessions aside, but Shogi was very important to him so he treated it with great care. Besides that, he had to protect it from what was inevitably going to happen next.

"What do you mean not one my strengths?! Of course it's one of my strengths! Strategizing always has been my strength, you bastard! Somehow, you're just inhumanly talented. Hey! Quit smirking at me!" Temari, as Shikamaru predicted, had jumped over, grabbed him by the collar, and quickly began shaking him without mercy.

"Temari, stop it. You're acting childishly." Shikamaru said without much emotion, but Temari only stopped shaking him around. She dug her fingernails deeper into his collar and brought his face closer to hers. Shikamaru was beginning to become nervous from the close proximity and unwillingly felt some heat rush to his face. Partly, it was because of Temari's hot breath on his face, but he knew that he also had something to do with it himself.

"Someday, I will beat you. Just you wait." Was all that she said before leaving his room and stomping her way out of the building. Shikamaru sighed loudly hearing her footsteps grow fainter and fainter despite how much noise she was making leaving the building.

"Tch. Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered under his breath before breathing in a deep sigh. He slowly exhaled that deep breath and lay down on his bed. It was ritual for this to happen. They would play Shogi, he would win, she would get mad, and she would threaten him and walk away in an angry fit. But this time something was different. Something was different about her.

He couldn't tell what it was, but lately their competitions had also become another type of game. A game where one person would stare at the other person for as long as they could before the other person realized they were being stared at. It switched between turns.

If the person realized they were being stared at and caught the other person in the act, they would lose, or something similar to that. It wasn't anything they made rules for, mostly since they didn't make up the game vocally. It just started to happen…

When it came to actually playing Shogi, Shikamaru was always the winner. However, when it comes to playing their "other game" then Shikamaru was always the loser. Temari had a sixth sense about her somehow and always caught him the act of staring at her. To which she would give an angry glance or glare and even the occasional quizzical look, but today… today was different.

Shikamaru couldn't help but look at her while she was thinking. She always looked more peaceful while she was thinking, not at all scary or frightening. She looked at home thinking deeply. It fit her, and Shikamaru noticed. But today as he stared at her during her turn, she noticed him. That was no surprise, but Shikamaru almost gasped out loud when he noticed that she was _blushing_.

Since when did Temari ever blush, especially around him? He had never noticed it before and this sudden reaction surprised him more than Naruto becoming the next Hokage would have! His mind started to think again as it always did when he had a puzzle to solve. The most impossible thought popped in his mind, making him question his own I.Q.

His conclusion was simple, yet he couldn't believe it. Temari had _feelings _for him. It made so much sense… it made sense why she always came back day after day to spend hours after hours playing shoji with him. It made sense as to why she dragged him over everywhere just because he was "her guide". He knew that she could have taken anybody else or even gone by her self, but she always took _him._

Why hadn't he seen this before? He sighed even louder and decided to sleep on it. He spent the night deep in thought over his revelations. He was also thinking about Temari and their complicated relationship, he fell asleep smiling, because… he had a plan.

* * *

"I want a rematch." Temari said defiantly as she stepped into his apartment the next day. Their routine was still the same as it always was; she was here to play yet again. Shikamaru looked at her with a smirk on his face. He'd been waiting for this to happen. Temari was looking around his apartment noticing that something was amiss.

"Wait, why isn't your board out?" Temari noticed and looked at Shikamaru. Shikamaru was still giving her his infamous smirk that he always had when he was about to win. Temari felt herself become flustered as he started to walk toward her.

"Which game did you want a rematch to?" Shikamaru asked calmly. That was plan. He wanted to ask her this way so that if she had actually realized what they had been doing, then they could talk about it. If not, he would just his Shogi board out, and they'd play just like they used to.

However, Shikamaru was confident that she would know and he would wait for to admit it. Which knowing her, would take a little while. True to Shikamaru's thoughts, she responded the way he thought she would.

"Shogi of course. What else could I mean dumb ass?" She looked at him as she often did when she found him stupid or just plain annoying, which happened often honestly. It was a sort of glare and a rolling of the eyes put into one. It was a look meant for Shikamaru and Shikamaru alone. Shikamaru just keep his gaze calm as he waited for her to realize what he meant. Temari's face then went into a nervous trance, and Shikamaru guessed that she finally understood his meaning.

"The… uh, the other game…" She admitted out. Shikamaru's smirk only became bigger as stepped closer and closer to her. She had her head down, facing towards the ground when she felt him put his hand underneath her chin lifting her face up. Her eyes were soft looking up at him. At that moment, he never looked as handsome as he had before. Together they both met in a kiss, which started short and sweet but quickly turned into something more passionate and longing.

Temari couldn't help but feel the bliss from that moment. It was forever imprinted into her brain. Because finally she had found a game that she could beat him at if she wanted to, but more importantly… They had found a game were they could both win at… Love.

* * *

Ah… the cheesiness of it. Gawd I love it. And if you don't like fluff to this extent then I apologize… I'm kinda addicted. Well, hopefully I did that well…

R&R if it floats your boat. Reviews rock my socks. Ja ne.


	3. Blind

So this is the first attempt at writing with Hinata, and usually my first attempts at new pairings and new couples don't go very well, but really it's mostly important for me to start it off. So here's my attempt at it. Enjoy.

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Entry #3

Blind

NaruHinaKiba

AU

* * *

In a local restaurant, a group of 3 were eating peacefully. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino had all gotten their favorite food and were chowing down. It was routine for the three, even if they aren't spending the day together, they always made sure to have time for each other around meal times.

In the beginning when they were all brought together by a class project and originally this had become the time to work on the project. Even after the project was done, it became routine, so they always kept their dinner date. You couldn't tell from first glance that they had only recently become friends because they seemed fairly close.

But truth was, at first it had been very awkward. Hinata was always quite shy and didn't speak unless spoken to. She was actually fairly smart, but her intelligence was hidden behind stutters and mumbles. Luckily, the project had allowed her to become much more comfortable around her two new guy friends and she now treated them like the brothers she never had.

Shino had always been the quiet one. Easily labeled as a 'nerd,' he didn't have many friends. This was probably because he never talked to anybody. But it wasn't because he was shy; it was because he never really found anybody he wanted to talk to, someone worthy of conversation. Shino had a brilliant mind, but also seemed kinda creepy with his obsession of insects. But he kindly restrained himself from talking about it whenever he was around his new friends. Both Hinata and Kiba appreciated him for his different input and simple way of looking at things.

Kiba was almost the complete opposite of the other two. Outgoing, crazy, quick-tempered, and rash were the words that described him. He had many friends, but he had only one very best friend, his dog Akumaru. Akumaru was the most important thing to him in the whole wide world. He wouldn't give him up for anything. Working with quiet people such as Hinata and Shino had been a testy time for him, but he grew to understand them, and now he wouldn't hang out with anyone else if he could help it.

The three had become best friends, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Soo… Hinata, wanna help me with my homework for today?" Kiba flashed a grin towards the blue haired girl. He always did this every single time, since he hated school work. For Hinata and Shino, it wasn't so bad for them. So Kiba always asked for help when he could. Hinata looked down, her instinct didn't want to refuse her best friend, but Kiba did need to learn how to do it on his own. Luckily, Shino answered for her.

"Shouldn't you been doing it yourself? I'm sure Hinata's got plenty to do anyway." Shino stated simply before taking another swig of his soft drink.

Kiba crossed his arms together with a pout, hoping Hinata would still say yes. He knew she couldn't resist that pout. He had been perfecting his puppy-dog pout most of his life, so he had it down pretty good.

"Um… uh, sure Kiba. I'll help you." Hinata timidly answered. Truth be told, it was a fact that she couldn't really refuse anybody, especially if they pouted. She felt needed, and had to respond to that need.

"Yes! Thanks Hinata!" He thanked the girl with enthusiasm just as he always did. Shino shook his head, but he understood Hinata. He knew that someday, she'd be able to say no. He was sure of it.

The trio returned to eating after that, fully focused on their meal. Outside, Akumaru waited for his master to return. He really was an amazingly well behaved dog and a smart one too. Kiba had raised him from a pup, so he'd grown up very well. Upon remembering Akumaru was still out there, Kiba hurriedly scarfed down his food.

"You shouldn't let him do that you know." Shino whispered to Hinata quickly so only she could hear. It didn't matter though; Kiba was so focused in his food that he wouldn't have heard what was said anyway. Hinata just shyly nodded her head sheepishly.

"…I know." She replied back before taking another bite and staring at her food. Shino couldn't help but shake his head. His head filled with words to say to the girl, but before he could, he was interrupted by someone he didn't know.

"Hey Hinata!" A loud blonde haired boy waved in Hinata's direction. She looked away from her food to see whose voice it was. But once she did, her heart almost died from surprised.

"Oh, oh, h-hi Naruto." Hinata replied back using what speech she could manage. She could so easily feel her face getting hotter by the second even though it felt that it couldn't get any redder. The boy known as Naruto just smiled back and went to find his seat with his friends.

The moment passed in just a second, but the reaction… it had yet still to come.

"WHO IS THAT?!" Kiba asked loudly. His mouth was still full of food so Hinata was given a double scare. His booming voice startled her out of her Naruto induced trance and back to her current surroundings.

Truth be told, her heart would not stop pounding. She had never expected to see the very boy that she'd liked all her life tonight. They had been be childhood friends, but ever since he moved off to go to some sort of special school, she hadn't seen him since. (1)

Of course, her feelings for him were never ending. In fact, time had made her heart grow even fonder. So when she saw him, so unexpectedly while with her friends, it gave her the surprise of her life.

"I hadn't seen him before. Someone you know from long ago?" Shino guessed in response. But honestly, he was just as curious as Kiba was. He had always known that Hinata was extremely shy, but he'd never seen her act like this.

"…yeah." Was the only word that Hinata could muster. Shino nodded in understanding, but sadly Kiba was still ready to make a scene.

"Where did you known him from!?" Kiba had his full attention on Hinata, who was looking through the corner of her eyes. Along with being given the shock of a lifetime, she was sure that Naruto could probably hear Kiba very easily and she didn't want him to think that she thought it was a big deal, even though it was!

"Kiba quiet down… I just knew him when I was growing up. I haven't seen him since he moved away about three years ago…" Hinata explained in a hushed voice, hoping that Naruto hadn't heard her.

"Soo… you like him??" Kiba asked unexpectedly. His voce was still rather loud and it was apparent that he was definitely teasing her. She could tell this by the grin he wore. But still, the question affected her. Sure, she had liked him all this time. But she had never really admitted that to anybody before.

"…yeah." Hinata admitted in quietest voice she could muster, her face was still red as tomato. She decided on the inside that it was time for them to leave, so she picked up her tray and threw the contents in the trash and headed towards the exit, hoping the others would follow her in the same action.

But sadly, if she would really look around, there were things happening around her that went unnoticed.

If she had really looked, she would have noticed that Kiba's grin had quickly turned into a frown when she admitted that she liked him. She could have seen that jealous look in his eye, and then just as quickly, could see Shino give a look of sympathy to Kiba.

For the both knew, Kiba actually liked Hinata all along.

And if she had looked a little harder, she would have noticed while her heart broke that the blonde haired boy she had liked so much, was the holding the hand of a very pretty pinked haired girl. She might have noticed the promise ring on that girl's finger.

Then she also might have noticed how Naruto looked so happy with her, and his other friend with the dark hair. She could have seen that he had found a happy life without her.

But sadly, she hadn't see this at all.

Hinata waited by the door for her friends as they emptied their trays. By then Kiba had forced a grin back on his face to act like he always did.

"I think you should say good-bye to him," he teased in a whisper.

But Hinata's emotions had been pushed too far for one day and she was in no mood for his teasing. So she just pushed him out the door and into fresh air.

Perhaps it was better to be blind to some things. For life seemed a lot happier that way. Because for all she knew, Kiba would always be her brother. And maybe, just maybe Naruto had liked her all this time. She only hoped that was the reason he came back.

But… with her eyes and their perfect vision, she was still so blind to the truth. (2)

* * *

_Fin_

* * *

(1) The 'special school' they went to was meant to mean just like how Naruto trained with Jirarya, Sakura trained with Tsunade, and Sasuke trained with Orochimaru. So you can consider it 'special' I suppose.

(2) Somehow I wanted to put in something about Byakugan into this story, but since it is an AU story, I couldn't think of anything logical to explain it.


	4. Unexpected

Okay, so this was a one-shot at first, but I decided that I would prefer to have it here instead. I guess I'm cleaning my little fanfic area up a little bit. I could probably make other one-shot collections too while I'm at it. Even though I would be losing the reviews I had, it would be worth it. Anyways, on to the important stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Dang.

**Warning**: This really is a fairy tale type story that isn't very realistic. If that's what you were expected, then I suggest you don't read it. Because then you'll be disappointed.

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Entry #4

Unexpected

-SasuSaku-

* * *

I can't believe that… this is finally happening. It's finally come time that everything I've gone through and everything I've learned is finally coming together and it just seems so… right.

* * *

I thought that my whole world had completed crashed and burned when Sasuke left. I knew what he left for and I knew why it was so important to him. If I was stronger, it wouldn't have bothered him so much. If I really loved him, then shouldn't I have supported him in what he wanted?

But it just hurt… so much that he was gone. Just that fact alone could tear my heart into so many pieces that life itself didn't seem right anymore. Life itself was changed forever on that fateful day, and I'm not sure how I ever lived on past it. To this day I won't know.

The thing that hurt the worst though was that I didn't make a difference in his decision to leave. A small part of me hoped so much that if I somehow told him how I felt, and how much I needed him that he would change his mind. That somehow, he wanted that too and would change his mind.

But it didn't. Nothing changed except for the fact that my heart hasn't been the same since.

* * *

Things did get better though. I got through day by day and did whatever I could to get my mind off him. I worked my ass off helping Tsunade get things back in order after all the chaos that had happened. I wanted to do anything I could, just to get him off my mind. I didn't wanna think about the fact that I might never see him again.

It was horrible… not having a purpose anymore. I guess you could say that everything in my life had been devoted to trying to make Sasuke realize just how perfect I was for him. But… that never happened. So then when I finally tried getting back on my feet, I'd just fall down again because… what was the point?

What was the point of going on if there was nothing to go on to? There was no reason to get up in the morning. No purpose to try to excel in life anymore. It all just seemed so pointless. But then when I finally saw Naruto in the hospital after he fought with Sasuke… I realized what my purpose was again.

Seeing him hurt made realize that I couldn't bear if anything should ever happen to anybody close to me. I couldn't bear it if they died because I couldn't save them. From that day on, I swore that I would become a medical-nin and so I did.

* * *

It was tough business, and there were so many times that I was under so much pressure to save a person's life that I re-thought why I ever wanted to do it. But at the end of the day…, I could finally be happy with myself. Something that I hadn't felt in such a long time.

I could finally be of help to people. I could finally do something to make things better instead of just standing around waiting for help to arrive. Now, I didn't have to wait. I could save people, and that was a powerful feeling.

I could finally go on in my life now that I had a purpose and a reason to keep on living. I always kept him hidden away in my heart, and I'm sure Naruto noticed. He was a really great help to me through those times though I'm sure he doesn't realize it. All my friends meant so much, and it was now more than ever that I could appreciate them.

Now that I've lost something so close to my heart, I was trying my hardest to not let anything be taken for granted. And honestly, that made my becoming stronger all that much easier. Living each day, not taking anything for granted… what's more powerful than that?

I found my power. I found my strength. I found another love. A love for life and the people around me that I never thought I would feel before. So I guess you could say that something good did come out of Sasuke leaving. Something that I never would have experienced if he hadn't left. And it was then that I decided that I didn't regret anything I felt for Sasuke at all.

Because without it, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

* * *

There had been many times where I wondered what I'd do if Sasuke did come back. I had imagined many scenarios where he would come back with Orochimaru and come to destroy us and what would I do? I imagined him coming back as part of the Akatsuki and I tried to imagine would I would I do?

And honest to Kama… I had no idea.

But I never would have expected it to be be like this...

* * *

I never expected him to just… decide to come back home. The story from Naruto was that he finally was able to get his revenge on his brother and become free of Oorachiamaru's grasp and decided to come back home. Tsunade had to do a lot to ensure his safety within the village, but it's all been sorted out. Everything was fine now. He was safe. He was home.

And the only thing left to do is to go see him.

* * *

"You've changed." Was the only thing he said to me when I first saw him. Honestly, I was glad he talked first because I would have had no clue what to say at all. Since he got back, I hadn't seen even a glimpse of him. I had to ask Naruto where I could find him and then I had to search all day for the house he was living in at the moment. When I got there, I couldn't bring myself to knock the door knowing that if I did, I would see him.

After standing outside his door for over ten minutes trying to work up the courage to knock on the door, I finally did and almost immediately wanted to hide in the nearest bush or tree, which I was going to when he answered the door with great speed. I could tell he wasn't expected me from the surprised look on his face, I could hardly handle it myself.

It was so strange to finally see him after all these years… After all the pain I'd been through and what I've done with my life since. Here he was, and the thing is, I should have felt so much anger just bubble inside me and just attacked him right then and there, but seeing him was just mesmerizing.

I knew I was supposed to answer him fairly soon. He'd think something was wrong with me if I didn't respond, but my brain was just shut down. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything.

Luckily for me, Sasuke didn't need a response from and opened the door wider for me to come in. It surprised me, I hadn't seen him in so long and he hasn't seen me and yet he's being kind. I think… I think he's really grown up since I last saw him.

He had a look in his eyes that I have never seen before, and it just felt so right. Being around him again, that just felt so right. It felt perfect.

I was so happy that all the pain that I had gone through… was finally worth it.

* * *

When my brain finally started working again, I said the first thing that came to mind.

"I missed you." It was just three simple words. Yet, it made me come to terms with how much I really did miss him. How I had gotten over him, it didn't seem like such a big deal anymore even though I still thought about him a lot. It just seemed like the past and I was ready to move.

Yet now… I know that he always stayed in my heart at least a little bit. A part of me never got over him, and now that he's here…. I realized just how much my heart missed him.

"Hn." Was his reply, just as it was way back then, when we were little. But today it held a new meaning. He started walking over to me, and I felt my legs little by little give way. His eyes… they held such a new thought. They were beautiful. He was beautiful…

I thought my heart would collapse as his took my hands, and glanced over me. His smell, gawd how could I forget his smell…? It was so intoxicating… His body leaned over closer and closer to mine to where my face was almost in his chest and his eyes stared above me, staring off into just the wall. I could tell he was thinking, but about what? His chest heaved as he took a breath and I could hear his heartbeat vividly.

"I realized a lot of things while I was gone, Sakura. I realized that this town meant a lot more to me than I thought it did. I realized that my best friend did a lot for me. And I realized that I hurt you so much. I'm glad I got to see you again." He said calmly above me. I could barely believe, but it just seemed so perfect that who was I to question it?

I lifted my face to look at his eyes and I finally realized what was in his eyes. I could regret in them. I could see kindness that I only saw rarely when we were young. He had lived through such hard times in his life, and he was finally able to put his past behind. At that moment, I was so proud of Sasuke. Prouder than I'd ever had been before.

I also realized at that very moment, how much I loved him. And the thing is, finally… I think he returned the feeling.

* * *

I could see him struggling with himself internally. As I stared into his eyes, I finally felt so happy… I finally felt the courage to do what I've always wanted. My lips were barely below his, waiting… I was waiting for him to decide he wanted it too. I could see he was fighting with himself. Finally he spoke.

"I was gone so long. I put you in so much pain. I don't deserve this." He glanced away, still keeping the same distance between us. I could feel my eyes widen at his confession, but it didn't matter to me anymore. The pain didn't matter anymore. All I knew is that I wanted him now.

"You may not deserve it, Sasuke, but I do." I felt braver then than I had ever felt in my life, and closed the distance between our lips. Kissing him… was just as perfect as I imagined it would be. He responded almost instantly and wrapped his arms around me. That would be the moment I would remember forever, because I had waited so long for it.

After parting, I looked into his eyes once more to see if they had changed. I could still see the regret in them, but now they were filled with a completely new emotion, an emotion I would quickly label as love. I stood on my tip-toes and gave him another kiss, though it was quicker than the first before saying what was on my mind.

"I just wanted you to know that I don't regret anything I've ever felt for you, and I hope you feel the same way, because if you didn't then I might just change my mind." I told him. He looked at him in slight shock, but apparently accepted my terms. He started to grin about something and I was starting to wonder what he was thinking, but he didn't keep me in suspense very long.

"I knew that you had grown up. I just didn't know how much. You amaze me, Sakura-chan." He explained. I felt my heart flutter at him finally putting an endearment to my name. Then he leaned in and kissed me once more.

* * *

It was like an ending to a book, where the readers know that even though the couple goes through a lot, they always end up together in the end.

The thing is, I figured my story book would never happen and was just a daydream of the past. But reality… is so much more beautiful for me. This reality… the truth… the present… is so much more than I ever could have imagined.

It was totally unexpected, but you know…

I don't really mind.

* * *

Fin


	5. Vulnerable

Another ShikaTema, that was originally it's own story, but I feel that its home should be here instead. This is dedicated to my best friend Shannon who was the inspiration for the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Imagine that.

* * *

Vulnerable

-ShikaTema-

AU

* * *

"Shikamaru, could you, uh, could you come pick me up?" Temari asked into her cell phone. She was holding her phone as possible to her face and her knuckles had become white from the death grip she had on it. Her body was shaking all over and her face was filled with fright. Of course, these were things that you couldn't tell by talking over the phone, but her voice itself was shaky.

"Temari, is something wrong? You sound… kinda scared." Shikamaru realized with shock.

Since when did Temari ever sound scared? She was always the tough girl, and it would be more likely for Shikamaru to be the one who was afraid. Because of this she often called him a crybaby. Shikamaru knew that something had to be wrong, but Temari wasn't in the mood to talk about it just yet.

"Shikamaru, please just pick me up dammit! I'm at the bridge on the old highway going to your house. And you better hurry Nara." She shouted back into her cell phone, slamming the device shut in anger. Shikamaru heard how angry she sounded, and since he had nothing else to do he figured that he might as well go.

"_She must be in pretty bad shape then…" _He concluded, and he was right. Temari's body was still shaking uncontrollably and the sun was setting faster and faster. It was only a matter of time before there wouldn't be any light at all left and she would be all alone in the dark. Though she cursed herself for it, she could feel the tears start to pile up in her teal eyes. Her eyes were waiting… waiting for the familiar sight of Shikamaru.

* * *

"Damn, woman. What did you do?" Shikamaru asked in surprised to himself as he survey the area. The sight he saw was not a pretty one. From what he could tell, Temari was driving her vehicle and approaching the bridge when something caused her to have to turn into a ditch where her car did a 180 degree turn and flipped over on to the driver's side. Her car was still lying in the ditch and debris was scattered everywhere.

But what surprised him even more was the fact that Temari had run up to him and embraced him a hug… Since when did Temari ever hug him? Shikamaru's face was turning redder by the minute, but ignored his racing heart as best as he could so he could get Temari to calm down.

Like he thought after talking to her on the phone, she was shaking all over and even though she had kept a fairly even voice while talking to him on phone, she was now crying uncontrollably and it appeared that she wasn't going to stop anytime soon. The back of Shikamaru's shirt was getting wetter by the moment, and something had to be done about the situation. Besides that, Shikamaru needed an excuse to get this beautiful blonde female off of him before he started going crazy as well.

"Temari… calm down. What happened?" Shikamaru pulled her off him and looked her directly in the face while asking his question. Actually it only made things worse. His emotions were being tested by this. Seeing her distressed was almost more than he could handle. He had never seen her cry before, something he had never wanted to see. She couldn't answer him for a few seconds due to her uncontrollable sobbing, but she eventually got a hold of herself enough to talk.

"A.. a truck was coming towards m.. me and wouldn't get out of my lane, s, s.. so I had to swerve off into the ditch to avoid hitting h.. h, him. The car only went into the ditch at first, but then it flipped over. I had to climb out through the passenger's side, and now my neck hurts like hell." Temari explained while rubbing her neck. She had calmed down a lot after talking some, and she was finally able to stop crying.

"I see… Have you called anybody else?" Shikamaru wisely asked and gave a look of concern when she shook her head no. She seemed slightly ashamed in that fact, but it didn't change anything. Shikamaru sighed and took out his cell phone, dialing a few numbers. After a few rings, Temari could hear the voice on the other end talking and stood there quietly so Shikamaru could talk.

"Yeah, I need to report an accident. On Highway 121 by the bridge. No, I'll take her there myself. Thanks." He said and closed the phone with a sigh. He put the phone in the back pocket of his pants, and you could hear him mutter the word 'troublesome' escape his mouth. However, this only made Temari more curious about what he talking about.

"You'll take me where?" She asked her male friend curiously. He was standing next to her deep in thought, but snapped out of it when he heard her voice. His face lifted to face her and his lips were curved into a small smile. This, despite the fact that only a moment earlier he had found something to be troubling.

"I'm gonna take you to the hospital. Whiplash is a serious thing and we better go make sure it's just a minor injury and not anything worse. I'll take you whenever you're ready." He explained to her. Temari gave him a small nod in understanding and Shikamaru could tell that something seemed to be on her mind. But for the moment, he decided not to press her about it. He was about to move and walk to where his truck was parked, when he decided to ask something that had been on his mind.

"Hey Temari, why did you call me? I mean, I don't mind helping you out but I figured you would have called one of your brothers instead. So, why did you call me?" He asked her hoping that she would answer his question. Her face gave a look of surprise that he would ask her something like that, but then her face softened as she looked over the surrounding area where her car was laying.

"I guess its cause you're the only one who wouldn't have laughed or thought it was my fault if I called. And because… well, I knew you'd help me even if I had messed up. It also doesn't hurt that you're the only one who wouldn't call me a sissy for crying. Which, by the way, if you tell anybody I will seriously come and hunt you down." She explained, giving him a look to show how serious she was. Shikamaru paid the most attention to her earlier words. There was something about it that struck a chord in his heart.

"…"

Shikamaru decided to remain silent as he poured over the thoughts in his head. There she was right in front of him, talking to him in such a way that he'd never heard before… and that just made her look vulnerable for once in her life. Shikamaru figured that this would be the only chance he would get to show a softer side of himself as well. Even though there was a strong possibility of Temari slapping him painfully across the face, he decided that it was now or never.

He silently walked up behind her while she was still looking away from him and in one swift motion, he had put his arms around Temari's waist and his head was leaning on her shoulder as to not hurt her neck. Temari froze in place unsure of what to do, but her heart knew exactly what her heart wanted her to do. She decided that since she had already been crying, so it wouldn't take too much pride from her to show that she felt the same way as him.

She slowly learned back against him and rested her head on his to comfort her neck. Shikamaru felt his heart racing faster and faster in the fact that she felt the same way. He could just tell by her actions; she called him because he would be the only one that would really care about her, and because she wanted something to care about her right now. Shikamaru positioned his head to kiss her neck where she had pointed out that it had been aching.

She sighed happily, and leaned her back against him more, snuggling closer against his body. This was the happiest that she's felt in a long time… and now it was so unreal for all of this to be happening. But if this never happened, then why was she still in Shikamaru's arms? She only smiled and kissed him on his neckline, and then looked towards the sunset.

Together, they watched the sun set completely and waited till all the light had died away before leaving the scene. Many things had been figured out tonight, but most importantly they realized that sometimes it's not such a bad thing to be open. Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to be vulnerable.

Fin


	6. New Years, New Starts

New Years, New Starts

SakuSasu

* * *

The year that those three were grouped together was a strange year indeed. Opposites were matched completely and in some ways, they were like a never ending triangle of powers. A triangle such as rock, paper, scissors, or like the triangle between fire, lighting, and ice. Every great power comes in groups of threes so that it is balanced. That's what important in the end. The balance of powers.

However, in the beginning it didn't seem that way. At first, the group appeared wrong to be joined together. There was no reason for Sasuke to continually be surrounded by someone as low of Naruto. The people of Konoha probably saw Sasuke as the village's shining hope, the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan, he would be the ace up the sleeve to enemies.

As for Naruto, he was deemed a failure. A failure to his village, a failure to ever exist. To everyone else, that was no need for his existence. They had no idea back then. All they thought was how Naruto would probably bring their shining hope down to his level, and that was never to happen.

In the end, the were all wrong. About Sasuke, about Naruto. About basically everything they thought they knew, but that's how life is. The truth is never what you think it'd be. Things never turn out the way you thought they would. That's life.

No one foresaw the impact of the last figure on that misplaced group either. Though Sasuke and Naruto could easily be labeled opposites, Sakura was still somehow the opposite to both of them in a completely different way as well. In their group, she became the 'gooey sticky stuff in the middle that held them all together.' For a while at least.

Though she repelled and attracted both of her teammates in different ways, she still somehow kept them together at the same time. The balance can only stay stable for so long though. Before long, relations grew sour and separation was gone to occur.

However, during that year, before the horrible tragedy was ever even thought of, things went peacefully for the group after so much struggle. It was now that things seemed stabilized. It was now that people took chances, and cares for the smaller pains of the heart.

Childhood is only supposed to hurt so much, if the pain goes away that limit, it becomes too unbearable. No one should go through pain like that at such a young age, but yet it happens time and time again in this woeful world...

Yet people such as Sasuke and Naruto make it through such horrible times and come out stronger. Sasuke was right in thinking that pain makes you stronger, but only if you come out that pain and don't lose yourself in it. That was Sasuke's fatal mistake.

But before any of that happened, Sasuke was just a normal child, living with the daily pain of emptiness just like any other lonely kid out there. He dealt with it the best way he could, by using training or something of that matter to get his mind off things.

Sometimes though, you can escape from pain like that.

It was usually the holidays that Sasuke found his mind wondering to memories long past. Everyone around him was getting exciting about celebrating the coming new year. All the older ninja were going to celebrate by drinking plenty of sake and partying. The younger ninja were spending it with their families, or with friends.

Sasuke remembers his father and Itachi during those times.

"_Father! Father! What are we gonna do for New Year's Eve? I heard some people say that there's going to be a big party tonight and fireworks and everything!" Young Sasuke's excitement was easily noticeable by everyone in the house. His mother looked at him with a cheerful smile, happy that he was excited, but everyone else in the household didn't feel the same way._

"_We're not celebrating like the rest of the village. Today is not different from any other day. Don't try to stay up Sasuke." His father coldly brushed him aside before moving on. Sasuke felt a pang in his heart that felt along the lines of rejection._

_He watched his father walk out the door, before he felt like moving again. As he turned around, he saw Itachi standing there in the doorway, looking down at him. Sasuke walked up to him, as Itachi bent down ready to say something._

"_There's nothing really special about the new year. Staying up to watch the sunrise isn't worth it, I promise little brother. You better get plenty of sleep tonight." Itachi explained to his little brother before flicking him on the head, as he always did._

"_Ouch! Nii-chan!" Sasuke complained and started rubbing where Itachi flicked him. Itachi let out a small chuckle before standing back up. Itachi didn't smile very often anymore, and the bags under began etching deeper and deeper into his skin. However, his little brother, little Sasuke, was able to make a brief smile form on his face sometimes._

_However, within a few seconds that smile had already faded as Itachi also left following his father, leaving Sasuke all to himself again. Somehow, the emptiness started to seep in already. Emptiness that he would feel for a long time to come._

That night, Sasuke decided to stay up and watch the sunrise anyway though he was disobeying both his father's and his brother's orders. He decided, that it was worth it though. There was something so refreshing about seeing the first dawn of the new year. It felt as if, he could start all over and become an ever stronger person.

That was the last year he watched the sunrise of the new year. During that year, Itachi betrayed his family, murdering them all, except for him. Little Sasuke. After that, nothing as trivial as the first sunrise of the new year seemed important anymore.

Recently though, trivial things began to take part in his life again. Friendship, teamwork. Things he always felt he could live without are actually helping him now.

Several things happened that New Year's Eve that he would never have expected to happen. Most of all, he never expected he would have company that night.

"Sasuke!" A voice sounded in the distance. It was past midnight, and Sasuke was still up, thinking about many, many things. The voice startled him out of his string of conscienceness, and brought his focus to the familiar sounding voice.

He didn't respond back, but instead got out of bed, and went outside of the house and stood on the porch looking for who called his name. He immediately noticed that pink color in the dark, and realized that he shouldn't have been surprised at all at who it was.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" Sasuke asked with a sigh. But now he should already be asleep so he could wake up early for training tomorrow. Kakashi-sensei gave them the morning off, mostly because of the partying tonight would cause him to have a horrible hangover in the morning, but Sasuke felt like training anyway on his own.

"It's New Year's Eve Sasuke! Why aren't you celebrating?" Sakura asked the boy excitedly. It was obvious that she didn't realize that she was on his property, past midnight, and that there was probably a very good reason that he wasn't bothering to celebrate, so in turn her presence here was just annoying him yet again.

"There's no point." Sasuke told her bluntly, the best way for anything to be explained. People these days, always beating around the bush, that was pointless. Sakura seemed vastly surprised at his response. Apparently holidays had all the point in the world. Well, probably in her world they do. Just because she's been surrounded by people all her life that cared. Parents that cared.

"Of course there's a point! New Year's Eve is very important! To greet the new year with the person you lov-, I mean! Isn't it lonely to spend it without someone with you?" Sakura quickly corrected herself before saying something that would have been completely embarrassing. Sasuke did catch it, however, but he found out over the years that it's just easier to pretend that he didn't hear it.

"What's the difference? From any other night?" Sasuke asked her seriously, hoping that she would actually think about it and realize how foolish she was being. But instead he got a completely different response.

"Well, I guess you're just gonna have to stay up to find out huh?" Sakura said with a giggle. For once, it felt like she knew something that he didn't. As if he were the ignorant one. He felt appalled inside that she made him feel ignorant, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

However, he stayed up that night anyway.

Though at first annoyed with Sakura's presence, he soon became glad for it in a appreciative way because the longer he stayed up that night, the quicker the loneliness from his lack of family began to seep in.

And when they both saw the sunrise that morning, it really felt like something brand new in Sasuke's life. Sure, since he had been devoted to his training, he had woken up before the sun plenty of times, this time it felt like... he had a whole new chance that year.

He had a whole new chance to become stronger, better, and a greater chance of getting to see Itachi again. And as he looked over to Sakura as the sun shone on her face, a face that revealed very happy emotions inside of her, he had a whole new chance at... friendship.

Even when he betrayed his country, and lost himself in greed, that was a memory that he had in his mind, even though he chose to ignore it for the most. A few years later, on New Year's Eve, that's the memory that came to his mind.

"Sasuke-sama! Orochimaru has summoned for you." For once it was Kabuto instead one of Orochimaru's lesser puppets that came for him.

"Tell him, too bad." Sasuke was so sick of being treated as less than Orochimaru when he was so sure if he wanted to right now, he could destroy him. He was sick of it all. The never ending demands, the beyond unreasonably stupid people he was forced to deal with, the slight ache in his heart that never really healed up.

It was becoming too much. But somehow, remembering that New Year's Eve brought him a strange sense of comfort. The comfort of starting the next year renewed. And the first thing on his agenda, getting away from Orochimaru.

And with that, he left to find Orchimaru and finish this. To change the way his life way. To create something better than just this. To accomplish everything he ever wanted once and for all. After all it was a new year, a new year to start brand new.

Fin


	7. The World Around Her

**The World Around Her**

Sasuke/Sakura/Naruto

* * *

"You, you what?" Sakura asked, completely in shock at the situation going on. She couldn't believe what was happening, and her voice gave evidence towards her feeling. Her breath became heavier, on the verge of gasping for air. Sasuke only looked at her as he had before, un-phased by her reaction.

"I don't want to do this anymore." Was all that he said, disliking having to repeat himself. With a sigh, he took a glance at the girl haired girl in front of him. She felt like everything was shattering around her. Everything that she could depend upon, was broken. Her whole life plan, ruined by those simple little words.

"Why, Sasuke? Please just tell me why? What did I do?" Sakura pleaded to him, hoping he would explain. If everything was falling apart, she had to know why. She was trying, trying really hard to hold herself together in order to get a response from him.

"I don't love you. I never did. I don't want to live a lie." He told her bluntly. Sakura visibly winced upon hearing his explanation. All these weeks together, and he never loved her? At all? His words hit her like ice, cold harsh ice. Her life felt, wasted now. No purpose at all.

However, she still loved Sasuke, so she was determined to keep a straight face. She forced herself to smile gently toward him, well, as much as she could. However, she could already fear the tears start to pile up in her green eyes.

"I, I understand. You're right. I wouldn't want to live a lie either…" She attempting to be understanding. She attempted to keep her act together, just while he was around. Once he was gone, she knew for sure that the tears were bound to come. And Lord knows they wouldn't be stopping for a long time.

"Sakura. Thank you." She heard his voice, and then he was gone. The wind picked up as he walked away. The dead tree leaves that lay scattered around the ground were pushed along by the wind and they seemed to dance around Sasuke. Sakura would have been happy to see such a scene with Sasuke just five minutes before. Strange how quickly things can change. How your life can seem so simple one and then bam, everything changes.

Sakura knew it was cold. It was winter time, and she was prepared as always to have a heavy jacket around her. But for some reason, she couldn't shake the cold pain away. She shivered, and she couldn't tell from what. The cold, or her unbearable pain?

Evening was already settling in around her, but it seemed pitch black to her? Just like the last flicker of a candle before the flames dies away, just as he walked away, the candle blew out. There was no light now.

And she never saw him again.

* * *

Everything seemed dark for a while. Questions like, "What's the point?" or "Why should I bother?" came across her mind a lot. She realized just how much stock Sasuke had in her life. Stock that he never bothered to place, stock that she had put in place for him. Now, he's withdrawn the stock and Sakura felt that nothing was left.

The days after, emotions came in waves. First was sadness, then anger, then grief. Then nothing.

She came to see that despite the magnitude the event had on her world, it didn't have much affect on the world around her. People still kept breathing. People still kept living. They loved, they hurt, just as they would any other day.

She watched as the world passed her by. She, standing still, was not moving with the world. She also realized that she didn't have much of an affect on the world around her either. When she stopped going out, she felt a change within her. As she stared out the window, she saw that the world didn't look any different.

Had she expected something? Did she expect the world to feel sorry for her? She laughed at her own insolence.

This was sad. He, the pain causer, had thanked her. Yet she, the pain receiver, had no thanks at all. It was as if, she had brightened his life for the cost of darkening hers.

She realized this was no way to live at all. Yet, that's how she was living.

* * *

"Sakura, open up." The voice from one side of a door could be heard, though it was spoken very quietly, for Sakura was leaning on the other side. She didn't want to see anybody. She hadn't cleaned her apartment in ages, a feat that she could never done otherwise for she was a very attentive person to her belongings. She didn't think that she was a nice sight to see either.

Yet, she should have expected this visitor to appear at her door like this. She cursed herself for being unprepared.

"I don't want to." It was the first time she had heard her voice in a while too. She sounded pathetic. She knew this. The world was changing around her, and she wanted nothing to do with it. How pathetic could she be?

She never knew she could sink this far down.

"Sakura." The voice, the voice of one of her closest friends. A friend of Sasuke's too. Seeing him would be like seeing Sasuke, in a way. Even though they weren't the same at all. The connection is enough to make Sakura want to keep this friend at bay away from her. The other part of her, the part of her that was originally her own not tainted by what she cared about what other people thought of her, know that she couldn't keep this friend out.

Against the other part of her own will, she unlocked the door. She didn't open it, only unlocked. Her friend could choose to accept that as enough or require more from her. It was out of her hands now though. That felt like enough. Naturally though, the friend took it as being the same as being allowed in. Sakura took a breath, a sigh really, as she saw the doorknob being twisted.

"…" Despite his noisy attempts to be allowed into the apartment, Naruto found himself unable to say anything once inside. His eyes quickly scanned the room, and Sakura and saw that many things were out of place. Both of them thought at the same time, "This is not right." Unable to cope with the awkward silence that Naruto was unknowingly giving, Sakura moved away from the door and into her living room. Taking a seat in one of her comfortable chairs placed in front of a TV that was not on. Just as before, he could leave or follow. She just really wanted it out of her own hands.

Just as before, the only outcome expected, is the one she didn't really want. Naruto regained composure sure enough, and followed her into the living room. He stopped looking around him, and focused solely on his pink haired companion as he took a seat next to her.

"Sakura, I heard what happened." He decided to start off easy, just stating the facts. Sakura was looking away from him, staring out of the window of her second floor apartment. The view wasn't much, but definitely preferable to the situation on hand. She didn't flinch like Naruto expected, instead, she retained a blank look on her face. Taking that as sign that he could press farther, he decided to ask a more personal question. "Are you all right?"

He praised himself for getting a response out of Sakura, but he quickly regretted that for all Sakura did was turn her head to look at him, and give him this look that said, "What the hell do you think, asshole." For a few minutes, Naruto felt genuinely frightened by her, by luckily for him, she went back to staring out of the window. She still had an unpleasant look on her face but at least it wasn't directed at him.

Naruto wasn't sure to do then. Of course he had come over to check up on her, but more than that, he had something really important to tell her. Something she needed to know. He mulled over in his head the best way to tell her the news, but sadly Naruto was never one to do things properly when it came to tense situations.

"Sasuke's already moved." He blurted out.

The silence thereafter about killed Naruto. Sakura turned her head more sharply towards the window so that Naruto couldn't see her face. He could her breathe, and finally she took a breath that meant that she was about to say something.

"What do you mean, already?" He hadn't expected this question.

"He was planning to move, but he never said when. I had expected him to leave eventually, but not this quickly..." This was one of the reasons she didn't want to let Naruto in, because of his connection with Sasuke. She didn't want to hear about him. She didn't want to know.

That was a lie, of course. She had always been desperately curious about Sasuke. This had to change though, she told herself.

"He never, told me." She found herself saying, as if the fact that he hadn't of confided in her was more important than the fact that he was gone. What did she expect though? He had told her himself that he had never loved her. Naruto scratched his head.

"Maybe he just didn't want you to know?" He was guessing, he didn't know the true intention of his friend. Not now, not ever really, though he liked to think that he was close enough to him. He never understood his relationship with Sakura either. It wasn't a subject the two talked about, except once.

This reasoning didn't really make sense to Sakura, but then again, Sasuke had always been the loner type. She had hoped that would have changed when she was dating him. Yet, throughout their relationship she still thought he seemed alone. That fact always killed her.

He didn't want her to know that he was leaving. Or maybe he didn't want to bother. Now that made sense. Sakura felt her cynical side coming out, bringing other feelings forth as well. Anger, bitterness. She was looking out of the window again, feeling, feeling again after she had worked so hard to shut out her emotions. Bitterness was overwhelming.

Naruto saw the outcome before she did. Sakura wasn't facing him, but he saw the teardrops drop onto her jeans leaving the tell tale wet spots. Sakura hadn't realized the next emotion coming on before it was too late and she had already starting crying. Sadness. She figured it was coming out just because Naruto was here to stir her emotions. She wanted him to leave right at that moment, but no words left her mouth.

Suddenly, she felt arms circle around her. Warmth. It was warm.

"I miss him too."

* * *

From that moment, Sakura felt something within her slip into place. Like, when doctor popped an appendage back into place. Except, this felt more like her heart. It was back in place where it should have been.

Another change was occurring.

* * *

"So he really is gone, huh?" Sakura said absentmindedly. She was out of the apartment finally, an apartment that was finally cleaned. She didn't look so horrible now either. She stood outside an empty house complex with her friend. Directly diagonally from them stood a 'FOR SALE' sign that silenced any possible questions concerning the house.

"Yeah. He didn't bother to tell anyone where he was going. He hid his tracks well too." Naruto commented. Sakura gave him a questionable look. "I've asked around. No one, absolutely no one knows where he's gone." The breeze picked up again.

For a long time, it felt like Sasuke didn't exist. Sakura chastised herself for thinking this, but it was sort of nice that he wasn't around to prove that wrong. Sure, she missed him. She really missed him. But it was for the best. Sasuke always did what was for the best. For everybody.

Well, everybody but Naruto anyway. Naruto was bright though. He'd miss his friend and live on. If he didn't want to be followed, then his wishes had to be followed.

"Come on, let's go." Naruto called for Sakura, who followed. These were the people left behind. However, they were finally moving along with the world instead of watching it turn without them. Though separately, the three moved on to greater and wonderful things.

There was so much the world had in store, for those who are willing to see it. Sakura embraced this.

Fin


End file.
